ACRA’s inaugural International Women's Day Breakfast

ACRA held its inaugural International Women's' Day Breakfast at the Kirribilli Club in March 2020. The panel was well curated by convenor and ACRA Board Member Caroline McConachie of Max Build and ACRA’s Nicole Raymond. Thank you both.

The panel comprised: Shamila Salek - Senior Engineer at GHD, Carolyn Alessi - Case Manager/Field Officer at MATES in Construction, Natalie Galea from UNSW, Una Mckenna from Triaxial, Allison Benson from Kerin Benson Lawyers, Raewyn Hughes from Ardex Australia.

After a few illuminating ice-breakers, the panel brought their perspectives on the construction industry from engineering, human resources, legal, research and supplier marketing perspectives. The morning went very quickly with all of the speakers providing insights to our male-dominated industry, its societal shortcomings, and some tips on how we might improve the balance for everybody’s benefit.

I summarise briefly as follows:The business case(s): For the bean-counters - research indicates that improvements in EBIT of 3-5% may be achieved with good gender balance.

Consider the cost of mental health – an alarming figure regarding suicide rates we all should be aware of: male suicides occur at a rate of 3 to 1 compared with female. In our more than 95% maledominated construction industry, this presents a higher risk to businesses due to the consequences of any one suicide. Not just monetary issue of the tangible immediate response, but also the emotional and social consequences to be worked through.

The value of improving gender balance is not just in reducing the at-higher-risk proportion of the workforce, but also arises through the pressure-relief afforded with interpersonal communication indicated by other research:

With better gender balance there are more perspectives brought to the workface, and more opportunities for males to talk about issues they may be facing with trusted females (as opposed to NOT talking at all with their male work mates). For client-facing businesses where more of the procurement teams have greater gender balance, It seems clear that a “less male” bid or project team would make Communications of perspectives and project needs clearer without bias - realised or not - of the male stereotype.

How to implement

In encouraging balance and diversity in organizations, a top-down bottom-up approach is needed. Leadership should be encouraged that even small habits can make a difference. Word choice is important as this is to stop the “death by 1000 cuts” that females in the industry routinely face. Also promote by talent, as it is the brain that analyses problems to deliver new ideas and better results.

At the coal face, similar messages apply - but more so to the mixing of team members at all levels from unskilled through to specialists. Of course, larger businesses with HR departments will be developing this now. GHD for one have a strong balance in the Materials team, in Sydney at least.

And some nice tips from the panel members included the following, on how to overcome routine difficulties faced in the industry:

• When facing a difficult meeting or presentation, set yourself a small reward of some type for a successful completion of the task.

• Have a talisman/touchstone to give reassurance. It may be a memento like a piece of jewelry, a special pen or article of clothing. Pick something which has a positive emotional connection to a mentor, or previous experience to give confidence. If things get difficult, reconnect to the positive experience.

• A self-care tip—you could encourage a pet friendly workplace, because “who doesn't like puppies?”

• Flexible work times to allow parenting duties to coordinate with work duties.

• Establish work practices that enable people to have better life balance.

• Refill your “buckets” - physical, menial, spiritual, and emotional. All are leaky and need refilling—focusing on one bucket for too long will leave deficits in the remaining buckets.

For guidance on developing self identity techniques one speaker referred us to the YouTube clip PURL (see link below). With a warm heart, we encourage you to get involved, take action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6uuIHpFkuo

Written by Grahame Vile, ACRA President